Thursday 7 February 2019 9:26pm
The co-chairs of Te Poutama Māori: Dr Diane Ruwhiu (left) and Tangiwai Rewi.
Associate Professor Joanna Kidman speaks to a group of Otago staff.
The University of Otago’s Māori academic staff network has started the year with a renewed vow to do what it can to support its Māori academic cohort.
Around 20 Māori academic and professional staff members attended Associate Professor Joanna Kidman’s presentation relaying experiences based on her research of Māori academic staff across tertiary institutions.
Held at Te Tumu, the recent day-long session included discussions in the afternoon about building capacity of and capability for Otago Māori academic staff.
Te Poutama Māori co-chair Dr Diane Ruwhiu said there was an acknowledgment that in recent years Otago has lost highly-qualified Māori academic staff.
“Today was about coming together as acollective to generate a focus for Te Poutama Māori,” she said.
"It is about actually working with Māori and non-Māori colleagues who want to be forward thinking about how we can address changes in Māori staffing."
“It is about actually working with Māori and non-Māori colleagues who want to be forward thinking about how we can address changes in Māori staffing. In this current tertiary envrionment where we are seeing increasing Māori student numbers, attention on vision matauranga in research and opportunities for kaupapa Māori pedagogies in teaching, having a strong and vibrant Māori academic cohorty is crucial.”
Associate Professor Kidman’s presentation illustrated statistics comparing the number of Māori, Asian and Pakeha academics and scholars. She found the disparity between Māori and non-Māori staff grew depending on the level of the academic positions.
Division of Sciences Associate Dean (Māori) Dr Tracy Perry said the presentation was compelling and profound.
“I think there is a lot that we can all take out of this to help our students and fellow staff members.”
Te Poutama Māori supports Māori academic excellence in relation to research, teaching and the creation of a culturally stimulating environment for staff and students at Otago.
A main outcome from the hui will be key priorities for Te Poutama Māori to advance in the coming year.